Follow up to my previous thread

[Flute56]

I dont think people are really going to reply to my other dentist thread so i am making this new one as I want to update the situation.

I have a tooth infection in my lower far back molar. It had been throbbing on and off for a while so i saw the emergency dentist on Thursday afternoon. She tested the tooth by tapping it etc and it did not hurt. She asked me to bite hard and that was fine. The xray did not show sign of infection but gave me a 5 day course of antibiotics (Amoxicillin). I completely forgot to take them on Thursday night so my first dose was on Friday morning and I have to take them three times a day.

The tooth continued to throb on and off and I was also advised to take painkilalers.

This is day 3 of a 5 day course and i dont think the tooth has improved. The tooth is also sore to press on the side and when the dentist did that with her instrument it did not hurt at all.

I am not sure whether to ring the surgery in the morning or wait until I have completely finished the antibiotics. Painkillers only mask the situation and if your tooty is still sore without painkllers then you know you still have an infection.

I do not have any swelling which is good. I saw someone today who said to me have you had the tooth out. What a cheek. I want to save the tooth not have it out

Antibiotics will not , on the whole, get rid of an infection in the mouth . The tooth, or gum , will need proper treatment.
Have you made an appointment with your regular dentist about this if it has been going on for some time?

I've read and commented on your other thread. It doesn't sound like an infection, it might be related to the jaw lightening the dentist saw on the xray (I'm assuming is the part of the jaw corresponding to the throbbing tooth). I'd call them, say there's now further pain and see if they can push the referral as a more urgent one tbh.

It could be an abscess. I suffered with painful toothache I went to the dentist who could find nothing wrong I even went to the doctor again nothing. It went on for a long time I even insisted the dentist refill a couple of teeth in case the filling was cracked which he did just in case. Eventually a lump erupted on my gum.

My regular dentist has cut his hours at the surgery and now only works 2 days a week. To be honest I went to see my regular dentist to have a filling done a few weeks ago and before that, the back molar did not hurt. It was only afterwards that it started hurting and I ignored it for a few days and then decided to make an appointment and was told my regular dentist is fully booked up until November so they put me with another dentist in the same practice as an emergency

@Flute56 finish the course and see how you are. Also, have you had a cold or sinus infection? According to my dentist my sinuses are closer than normal to my last back teeth and so if I have a heavy cold I can get the feeling a bit like an infection in the teeth.

no recent cold or sinus infection. In fact I have never had a sinus infection.

It could be anything. I have always been the type of person to panic about anuthing that goes wrong with me. I have never had anything serious. I was told by a medic a while back "you are not as bad as you think".

Some years back I had a tooth infection and had the tooth out and was given a small denture. It was a tooth next to my front tooth. It was great and I have no issue with it. At my current dentist I had an issue with another tooth and said to my dentist. Take the tooth out and give me a denture the same as a previous dentist did and showed him the little false tooth. He took a look and said no I cannot give you one of those so I said why not ive got one here and he did not explain further, he simply said it would not be an option. I dont understad why he could not give me the reason. I am entitled as the patient to know why I cannot have something. Its just a little denture after all. A friend of mine goes to the same dentist and has had four teeth in a row removed and I asked her why she doesnt have a bridge or a denture to replace the back teeth and she said I dont know. Surely her current dentist would offer that to make chewing a bit better. I asked if i could have my lower teeth straightened and he said he could refer me but first I need to get my gums in good order. He has never mentioned the state of my gums before and Ive been going to him for 4 years. He has also never referred me to the hygenist and it was only wyhen I mentioned lower teeth straightening that he mentioned gums and I said ok I will go to the hygenist and he said you need to go regularly not just once. Why did he not mention it before? I guess as I am an adult he thokught I did not need telling because I should know what to about oral hygine. My friend who goes to the same dentist said after every visit he cleans her teeth. He has never cleaned mine. If he is going to clean a patients teeth he should clean every patients teeth.

As for the tooth.. it is not that painful and believe me I have had an infection about 10 years ago where it was so painful I could not sleep and I was screaming in agony but this is not like that. It is tender and I can still bite and chew. It may be sensitive to touch now but with a painkiller that sensitivity is taken completely away until the painkiller wears off. I wasnt going to take a painkiller for it but woke up with a headache so took a painkiller for the headache and it worked for both the headache and the tooth.

I really do not want my dental practice to see me as a hypochondriac or as someone who makes moutains out of molehills so I dont know what to do. Not sure if i should just leave it until my follow up appointment on the 27th or phone the surgery today dfor some advice

I am now starting to floos very thoroughly and brush very thoroughlly to get rid of any bacteria in my mouth and follow dentists precise instructions on how to do both of these. Flossing before brushing and then brushing in the corect way. I fear it is too late for this and the damage has already been done but bacteria can cause teeth to fall out if left and i dont want that. I have a work colleague who is two years younger than me and she has some lose teeth due to gum disease and they will eventually fall out. I said to her why do you have so many tooth issues and she said because I drink a lot of rum and coke every night. I said oh dear and she said yes and I still do. Blimey if the dentist told me that rum and coke were ruining my teeth I would stop but she said oh I like rum and coke so I contininue to drink it every night. (wondering whether she has a drink problem)